Santa Clara County supervisors have taken a major step toward adopting a $14 billion budget that attempts to preserve essential public services amid mounting state and federal funding threats. The unanimous preliminary approval followed weeks of hearings and workshops, with final adoption expected on June 17. However, the mood among county leaders was far from celebratory, as they confronted the reality of declining external support and growing local demand. Supervisors acknowledg

Ravichandran Ashwin and his Tamil Nadu Premier League franchise Dindigul Dragons have been officially cleared of ball-tampering allegations following a formal investigation by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). The accusations were initially made by Siechem Madurai Panthers after their nine-wicket defeat to the Dragons in a TNPL 2025 fixture on June 14 at the Salem Cricket Foundation Ground. The Madurai Panth

The Israel-Iran conflict has escalated dramatically, entering its third consecutive day with intense missile exchanges resulting in significant casualties on both sides. Iran reports at least 224 fatalities, including senior military

A tragic incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon in Pune’s Maval tehsil, where an iron bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed near the popular monsoon tourist spot Kundmala. The collapse, which occurred amid rising river levels following days of rainfall, resulted in the death of at least two individuals, with several others feared missing. Reports suggest that 15 to 20 people were on the bridge at the time, many of whom were swept away as the structur

Indian-American venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has sparked a major debate by suggesting that artificial intelligence may undermine the dominance of elite universities and high-prestige careers. Reacting to a report titled “The End of Prestige”, Khosla argued that AI tools are eroding the traditional value of expensive degrees in law, medicine, and finance by replacing the need for memorized knowledge with the ability to intelligently query AI sys

  A large-scale protest unfolded across the Bay Area on Saturday as part of the growing No Kings movement, where organizers sought to send a powerful visual message by forming a seven-mile-long human chain along El Camino Real. Stretching from Sunnyvale to Palo Alto, the event, called “7x7K,” was organized to oppose what participants describe as authoritarian-leaning policies from former President Donald Trump and to demonstrate strong public support for democratic

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is launching a widespread crackdown on fraudulent EB-1A visa applications, particularly targeting individuals who may have manipulated their profiles using low-quality publications, fake citations, and questionable awards. Immigration attorney Rahul Reddy recently revealed that several EB-1A petitions—mostly filed by Indian nationals—are being reopened and reviewed, with some already facing rev

Global financial markets came under pressure on Friday as Iran launched hundreds of missiles toward Israel in retaliation for earlier airstrikes on its nuclear and military facilities. The geopolitical escalation sparked fears of a wider Middle East conflict, leading to a steep sell-off on Wall Street and sharp gains in oil and gold. The S&P 500 fell 1.1%, while crude oil futures jumped 7.5%, their largest single-day gain in over two years. The VIX fear g

In a dramatic and dangerous turn of events, Iran and Israel exchanged a series of airstrikes over the weekend, marking one of the most intense escalations in their long-standing rivalry. The conflict began on Friday when Israel launched its largest-ever military offensive against Iranian targets, citing the need to prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear weapons program. In response, Iran retaliated with missile and rocket strikes early Saturday, hitting key Is

President Donald Trump has announced a significant shift in immigration enforcement policy, confirming that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will cease raids targeting undocumented farmworkers. This decision comes as industries such as agriculture and hospitality raise concerns over losing long-time, irreplaceable workers to aggressive enforcement measures. In a public statement, President Trump acknowledged that while the objective of immigration enforcement remains to r

In Houston, a growing concern around youth mental health is being met with action by the Ibn Sina Foundation, a community-driven organization that has provided affordable healthcare to underserved populations for over two decades. Founded to support low-income and uninsured residents, the foundation now runs multiple clinics across the city, offering both medical and behavioral health services. Anchor Rashi Vats rece

In Austin, Texas, public school advocates are voicing strong opposition to the Austin Independent School District's proposed "turnaround" plan for three underperforming middle schools Dobie, Burnet, and Webb. On Thursday, ATX United for Public Schools, a coalition of parents, staff, and educators, staged a protest demanding transparency, job security for teachers, and more time to explore alternatives to disruptive reform.

OpenAI has announced the launch of its most advanced reasoning model yet o3 Pro for ChatGPT Pro and Team users. The new release is accompanied by a major price reduction of 80% on the standard o3 model, now priced at $2 per million input tokens and $8 for output tokens. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the price cut and hinted that o3 Pro pricing will also reflect its strong performance-to-cost ratio.

US President Donald Trump has unveiled a new immigration initiative officially dubbed the "Gold Card" or “Trump Card” allowing wealthy foreign nationals to gain a pathway to US residency by contributing $5 million to the federal government. The announcement came via Trump’s Truth Social post, where he likened the card to a “more sophisticated” version of the Green Card, branding it a “beautiful road” to acces

In a bold move, Delhi University (DU) has introduced a new psychology elective titled Negotiating Intimate Relationships starting in the 2025–26 academic session. The course aims to equip students with tools to navigate the complex world of love, friendships, and emotional boundaries. As young adults increasingly grapple with digital intimacy, social media pressures, and confusing relationship dynamics, the course couldn’t have come at a m

Barbora Krejcikova's preparations for defending her Wimbledon crown took a major blow as she suffered a surprise first-round exit at the Queen’s Club in London on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Czech star was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in a stunning upset that casts doubt on her grass-court form heading into the 2025 Championships. Krejcikova, currently ranked world number 17, claimed her

Elavenil Valarivan, one of India’s top rifle shooters, secured the bronze medal in the women's 10m air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Munich, despite holding a strong lead in the early stages of the final. The 25-year-old shot an overall score of 231.2 to finish behind 18-year-old Chinese sensation Wang Zifei, who took gold with a commanding 252.7, and South Korea’s Kwon Eunji, who secured silver with 252.6.

The United States and China have reached a preliminary framework agreement to revive their stalled trade truce, aiming to ease export curbs and avoid a looming tariff escalation. Following two days of high-stakes negotiations in London, both sides announced they had come to terms on steps to lift restrictions on China's rare earth mineral exports and to roll back recent U.S. controls on advanced technology goods, including semiconductor software.

After a 13-year wait, global pop sensation Enrique Iglesias is set to perform live in Mumbai on October 30, 2025, at the iconic MMRDA Grounds, BKC. The Spanish singer, known for chart-toppers like Hero, Bailando, and Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You), will perform in India as part of his latest international tour. The one-night-only concert is expected to draw a massive crowd of over 30,

A new artificial intelligence model built for transparent, logic-based reasoning is gaining attention in professional and enterprise circles. Named Magistral, this new model is designed specifically for users who need clarity, traceability, and reliability from AI outputs—particularly in complex, regulated, and multilingual environments. Magistral is available in two versions. Magistral Small, a 24-billion parameter open-source model, is freely accessible for experimentation